For detailed information on the aforementioned tours, visit ustoa.com/tour-benefits.
Why recommend an escorted tour when planning your clients’ vacations? The benefits are infinite. As USTOA notes, “a tour is a perfectly planned vacation.”
From VIP access to peace of mind, an escorted tour with a USTOA member is a win-win for you and your clients. Think of a USTOA tour operator member as your co-pilot: booking with them will save you time when it comes to navigating the where, how and when. An added plus: It will save your clients a substantial amount of money.
A USTOA tour operator handles all of the basics—complicated logistics of an itinerary, transportation, and all necessary hotel, dining, and sightseeing reservations (at negotiated rates)—as well as providing personal, 24/7 hands-on services of tour directors with on-the-ground knowledge, local guides and experts, and, most importantly, access to experiences travelers can’t get on their own, at any price.
Here are some of the reasons, among many, to recommend an escorted tour:
- Exploring beyond the typical tourist sites: A vacation with a USTOA tour operator means your clients will get to explore beyond the typical tourist sites, and they’ll avoid long lines, crowds and worries about protocols, documents and schedules.
- VIP access: USTOA members are able to grant your clients a new level of access and immersion to ensure up-close and personal experiences in the most coveted and sometimes less-discovered cultural treasures and natural landscapes.
- Culinary delights: When your clients are on a USTOA member tour you know they’ll be dining like royalty. Tours offer truly local dining and culinary experiences, from Michelin-star restaurants to gastropubs, wineries, distilleries and even in-home visits for a shared family meal. And the cost of meals with the group is included in your client’s tour price (including tips!).
- Discovering on your own: Today’s tours are not your grandfather’s tours. Your clients have the freedom to explore on their own, whether it’s a shopping expedition, an extra museum visit, taking in a local performance, a hike or bike ride, tours provide opportunities to pursue what interests your clients most.
- Hanging with the locals: Today’s intimately sized escorted tours allow for immersive experiences, including spending time with local guides, artisans and experts who welcome your clients into their homes.
- Peace-of-mind: With tour directors able to assist your clients 24/7, you’ll have peace of mind knowing your clients are well taken care of, and come back asking for seconds.
Whether your clients want to explore the great outdoors, revel in the culture and cuisine of far-off lands or take the adventure of a lifetime, USTOA tour operators offer enticing tours you’ll want to recommend.
For clients who want to explore the world’s natural landmarks—from national parks to the northern lights of Finland and the sun-drenched hills of Italy—recommend these escorted tours:
- Celtic Tours’ 7-day Highland Explorer and the Isle of Skye
- Collette’s 8-day The Northern Lights of Finland
- Exodus Travels’ 8-day Walking the Prosecco Hills
- Insight Vacations’ 8-day Iconic National Parks of Utah
- Intrepid’s 6-day Cycle the Canadian Rockies
Immersive cultural experiences as well as the opportunity for up-close and personal encounters from Italy to Peru are offered by USTOA members. Check out these journeys that allow for a deeper connection:
- Abercrombie & Kent’s 11-day Peru: Machu Picchu & the Amazon
- Club Adventures’ 13-day Morocco Uncovered
- Globus’ 8-day Veni, Vidi, Vici: Umbria & Tuscany By Design
- Trafalgar’s 13-day Best of Italy
- VBT’s 7-day Italy: Southern Tuscany & Giglio Island Guided Biking Tour
The pandemic caused many of your clients to rethink their travel plans and many are now opting for that once-in-a-lifetime trip (it’s that “if it’s not now, when” mentality). Here are five tours—from Greece to Egypt—that speak to that state of mind:
- CIE Tours’ 6-night Private Driver Vacation to Scotland with Golf at St Andrews
- Homeric Tours’ 10-day Tastes of Greece
- SITA World Tours’ 18-day Splendors of Africa
- SmarTours’ 11-day Splendors of Egypt
- Tauck’s 20-day Grand Australia & New Zealand
For detailed information on the aforementioned tours, visit ustoa.com/tour-benefits.
To learn what USTOA is doing when it comes to sustainable tourism, click here.
